Winter Haven Woman Charged In Rental Property Scam

WINTER HAVEN, FL -- A Winter Haven woman faces two counts of grand theft after reportedly using Craigslist to rent property that she didn't own.

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Winter Haven Police arrested 36 year-old Nikeila Lashandra Wilson of the 2600 block of Whispering Trails Drive, Winter Haven, after an investigation revealed that she took money from two people who found rental homes listed on Craigslist through her. She was released on $1,000 bond.

In October 2017, the first victim, who lives in New York, found a rental home in Siesta Key on a legitimate rental site, VRBO.com. The victim also found the same home on Craigslist at a cheaper price.

The victim contacted Wilson who was posing as the owner on Craigslist and was sent a rental agreement with instructions to send a payment of $3,500 to Wilson. The victim mailed a check to Wilson and the check was cashed. Between November 2017 and June 2018, the victim attempted numerous times to contact the "owner," but never received a response. The victim then contacted VRBO.com directly and learned that the property was still available for rent.

Ultimately, the Winter Haven Police were alerted since the money was sent to a Winter Haven address.

The next victim, from Canada, found a rental property in Naples listed for rent on Craigslist. The victim contacted the person he believed to be the owner and was instructed to send a money order of $1,675 to Nikeila Wilson at the same Whispering Trails address.

The victim wanted to extend the time of the rental for five days and was instructed to wire an additional $300 to Wilson's bank account.

On Jan. 28, the victim arrived at the Naples rental property to find someone already renting the home. It was then that local authorities were contacted and a report was filed in Winter Haven.

When detectives were informed of the second case involving the same Whispering Trails address, they approached Wilson.

Wilson claimed that her boyfriend had instructed her to open the Chase Bank account since he was out of the country on an engineering contract and had no way to deposit checks. Wilson said she thought the money in the account was deposited by him.

When asked about the $3,500 check from the victim out of New York that was cashed in her name, she again claimed that she thought the check came from her boyfriend and said she didn't notice the "rental property" notation on the check.

"Rental scams continue to be used through these elaborate schemes with unsuspecting and trusting victims losing thousands of dollars," said Public Safety Director Charlie Bird. "Any potential transaction that is conducted over the internet should be completely explored prior to any money changing hands."

Image via Winter Have Police

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